Blood and Venom
by Ryvven
Summary: Okay, I’ve dreamed up a whole world, and my story is just a single, random chapter of it. I have many more stories in my head, but I haven’t penned them yet. If you like anthros, you'll hopefully like this. Read and review plz!
1. Chapter 2 Aftermath

**Aftermath**

Dash found his sister right where he thought she would be, standing by Dael's grave. Her feet were planted daintily on the side of the freshly dug earth and one of her hands was draped almost absently over the gravestone. He watched her for several seconds, neither of them moving. Though she was almost eight years older than him, Dash thought that she looked very young at that moment, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. Maybe it was just a trick of the light.

It was a chilly night, and Dash shivered slightly as a cool wind ruffled his fur. He wished he had thought to bring his cloak. He looked around to see if anyone other than he and his sister were there, but, as he expected, no one was. At his sister's request, Dael had been buried away from the common graveyard. He was laid to rest deep in the forest. Dash wanted to get this over with, because he always thought it awkward to impede on others' deepest feelings. He took a step forward, but before he could open his mouth, Wren spoke.

"You came to comfort me, did you not?" her eyes opened slowly as she turned to look at her brother, the slightest trace of a smile playing about her lips. Dash was silent. He didn't know what to say anymore. He simply looked helplessly at Wren and at the gravestone that stood above his brother-in-law's corpse. He wished with all his heart that Dael's death could have been prevented, that he could be alive right now, his heartfelt chuckle lightening the mood. But that was not how things were, and all he could do was stare. "I don't need your pity, brother." Wren said quietly after she realized that Dash would not offer a reply to her question.

"I didn't come here to pity you, Wren, I came here to help you." Dash said, finally recovering use of his voice. To this Wren laughed, a cold mirthless chuckle.

"Help me what? Help my cry? Help me spill my tears all over the forest floor? Were you going to hold me and tell me that everything will be all right, Dash?" Again came the chuckle, and Dash felt a chill ripple down his spine as he caught his sister's eyes. The warmth and compassion that used to give them such life was now gone, and instead of staring into his sister's kind gaze he found himself meeting the cold stare of a huntress. Something else that Dash found disturbing, and it took him a moment to realize it, was that Wren's eyes were dry. She had not been crying at all. What had happened to his sister? "What is it Dash? Are you surprised?"

"You're...different Wren." he replied uneasily.

"Yes Dash," she said, her voice barely over a whisper, "In case you haven't noticed, there have been some changes in my life recently. Things are not as they once were." It was at that moment that Dash understood why Wren had looked so young to him. Her shield maiden's sash, the small length of brown fabric that marked her as an elite protector and bodyguard, was gone. Dash had always seen that as a mark of experience and, thus, of age and wisdom, and he had never seen Wren take it off. Now however it was nowhere to be seen.

"You-you're sash Wren, it's gone!" Dash said, the shock of all of his sister's sudden changes spurring him on to speak where he would normally be silent.

"Yes I know," Wren stated calmly, "I resigned."

"But Wren, that was your life's training! Why would you-"

"My life is different now," she interrupted, "the shield does not fit my purposes anymore. These do." and with that she drew two weapons that Dash recognized immediately. They were the dual sai called the Viper's Fangs, a set of weapons passed through Dash and Wren's bloodline ever since their distant grandfather made them. The weapons looked exactly the same, both were elegantly crafted with blades that glittered like moonlight and hilts whose grips were molded into perfect likenesses of winding snakes. The weapons, Dash knew, could be transformed into bracelets to conceal them, then quickly called back out when needed. They were powerful, capable of slicing clean through most armor, though that was not their most feared ability. The Viper's Fangs constantly secrete a potent venom that is also a powerful acid, guaranteeing victims of the deadly blades an agonizing demise. Seeing these weapons made Dash instinctively drop his hands to his own heirlooms, the twin swords called Dragon's Fury. The fact that his sister was planning on using the Viper's Fangs in combat sickened him. Wren had never had any desire to hurt anyone before, and she had fought only out of pure necessity. Now, however, she seemed to desire the pain and suffering of her enemies. Wren sighed and transformed her sai into bracelet form with a thought, the blades turning into a softly glowing light and chasing down her arms before solidifying again into meaningless looking jewelry. "Dash, there's...something I need to ask of you." Wren said, looking away from him.

"Hm?" was all Dash could bring himself to say.

"Well, you...you're my only family left Dash." she said, still looking away. Secretly, Dash knew this to not be true, but he knew better than to bring up their evil uncle Azdrael at a time like this. "I...I can't loose you. Not for anything, do you understand?" She finally looked back at him, and Dash was suddenly overjoyed, for in Wren's eyes he saw that familiar warmth, that love, that had always been characteristic of his sister. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

"Yes Wren, I understand, no playing the hero." and Dash allowed himself a slight smile, even a whisper of a chuckle.

"I'm serious Dash," Wren said with no hint of mirth in her voice, "if I were to loose you too I...I don't know what I would do."

"You don't need to worry about me, I can handle myself." Dash's normal cocky edge to his speech was beginning to come back.

"Those were the last words that Dael said to me." Wren said quietly, her eyes again becoming cold and without feeling. That shut Dash up, and his heart sank when he again met Wren's gaze.

"Wren, I was just-"

"Do you know why we didn't simply resurrect Dael?" Wren asked suddenly. Dash was surprised. He hadn't really thought of that. Dael had been an accomplished fighter, and at base-camp there was a cleric that was experienced enough to bring people back from the dead, Dash had seen him do it before. Dash knew that if specific body parts were missing, namely the head or heart, then much more powerful magic was required to breath life back into the dead, but he had seen Dael's corpse, and it was not missing its head nor was there any evidence that its heart was gone. The only wounds on him had been a particularly nasty gash that had opened his stomach, allowing its acid to spill out over Dael's other organs. Dash didn't like to think about that, though. He waited for Wren to give her answer. "The one that killed him was not content with simply taking his life," she went on, "there is another thing that is missing: his soul." That stunned Dash as good as any blow to the head would have.

"Wh-what?" he said as if in a daze.

"Whoever slew Dael used powerful magic to lock his soul away as well, preventing resurrection." Wren replied. Dash was speechless. "Now you see, Dash. Now you see why I cannot simply let this crime go unpunished."

"What do you mean?" Dash asked quietly, dreading the answer, but needing it all the same.

"They took Dael from me, both body and soul," Wren said, rage building in her voice, "so now I will kill them Dash, I will repay Dael's blood and my anguish on them a hundredfold! And when I find the one who holds Dael's soul, may the gods help him." and with that she turned and stalked off into the forest, making no sound whatsoever.

Dash's mind was a thunderstorm. He didn't know what to make of any of this. His brother-in-law lay dead, and his image of his sister was shattered. He fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes both for Dael's loss and from sheer confusion.

"Why, damn you!" he shouted at the gravestone, "why did you need to die? Look at all of the trouble you've caused! Look at what you've done to my sister!" and with that, Dash collapsed onto the soft, newly dug earth and sobbed. And it was his tears, not Wren's, that first touched Dael's grave.


	2. Chapter 3 Vengeance

**Vengeance**

Wren strode silently through the forest, recounting on her conversation with her brother. He would never, could never understand what she felt at that moment. Dael's death was on her shoulders. She had been his Shield Maiden, his bodyguard, but nonetheless she had let her love of him get in the way. She had allowed him to convince her to stay behind, as had been requested by the cats, as he went to negociate with them. It was foolish, it was unprofessional, and she cursed herself for her mistake.

But she cursed the cats more.

The agony she had felt for her lost mate, and the guilt that stemmed from her lack of responsibility, was matched only by the pure rage that now sizzled in her veins. She knew what needed to be done.

Wren took a moment to review the items that she had "borrowed" from the mage quarters at base-camp. A magicked cloak that allowed her to blend in with her surroundings, greaves that softened her step, a ring with a spell of silence on it, and a small magical rod. She took the rod out of her drawstring sack. It would allow her to teleport to any place she could accurately envision. She had seen the mages activate this item before, and knew she could improvise enough to get it to work. She closed her eyes and gripped the rod tightly in roughly the same position she remembered the mage gripping it.

"_Hesves Invek Ra!_" she spoke the words of power as she remembered them, and vanished in a flash of soft blue light.

Wren reappeared in a grassy clearing, a place she remembered well. It had been where she, Dael, and the regiment of soldiers under Dael's command had been just that morning. It was, in fact, the place she had last seen Dael alive...

"_Dael, please, be reasonable" Wren said, exasperated._

"_I'm sorry, but it was explicitly part of the request. If I were to allow you along, they might not see me at all." Dael explained patiently._

"_Dael, they're cats, they can't be trusted! Please, won't you reconsider..."_

"_Listen, even if they are planning on killing me, how_ _much help do you think you'd be against the entirety of the soldiers in that fort?" Wren_ _decided to try a different track._

"_It is my duty to protect you. I will come with you whether you forbid it or not. If they choose to cancel the negotiation because of that, then so be it!"_

"_Wren, listen. The soldiers I have in my company are not enough to take down this base. Even if we do manage to pull it off, many of my men will die, and those deaths will be on my head. I will only attack if I have no other options. You can respect that, can't you?"_

"_Yes...Yes of course I can..." She looked up at him "and I want your negotiations to succeed, I do...but I couldn't bear to loose you Dael." At that moment, Dael encircled her in his strong embrace and kissed her deeply, passionately. Wren returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm. "I love you" she said after the kiss was over_

"_And I you." Dael replied. He let go of her and moved to the tent flaps._

"_Wait!" Wren called. Dael stopped and turned a questioning gaze on her. He looked so innocent to Wren, his blue eyes emanating curiosity and warmth. "Just...be careful." Dael chuckled, a friendly lighthearted sound._

"_You needn't worry about me, Wren. As you have seen, I can handle myself." and he walked out of the tent and out of the world of the living, smile on his lips._

Wren shook her head. This was no time to reminisce, this was a time for action, for vengeance. She took a moment to orient herself, then moved off in the direction of the Bithi-Sol base. Her steps were silent as she maneuvered through the trees, and she soon came upon the outer walls of the establishment. She noticed the shadowy forms of night watchmen lurking on the ramparts, and knew that she would need to plan this carefully. She found a large tree near the wall and climbed to its branches. She checked the guards, making sure that none of them were facing in her direction. Convinced of her safety, she took a running jump off one of the branches closest to the wall, her greaves masking the sound. She sailed silently through the air, like a specter, her cloak billowing out behind her. She landed silently on the wall, her cloak coming to rest around her and serving to conceal her from the sentries' prying eyes. She looked quickly to her left and right to see if anyone noticed her, but all she saw was the retreating back of one of the watchmen. Wren then searched for the ladder that would lead down from the ramparts. She found it after only a few moments, it was past the slow moving figure of the guard. Wren could wait for the cat to trudge past it, but her anger flared up inside her. Dael was dead due to the treachery of the cats, this unfortunate guardsman would be the first to pay for the sins of his race, Wren reasoned. She ran towards him, calling one of the Viper's Fangs from its bracelet for as she did so. She closed the distance between her and the guard quickly. Her left hand snaked over his shoulder to cup itself on his mouth while her right slipped the weapon into his spine. His back arched and Wren felt his mouth open to scream in agony, but the ring on her hand silenced it. Wren pulled the sai out of the cat's back and drove the pommel of it into the back of his head. His body went limp as unconsciousness took him. Wren let it drop. She looked down at the pathetic creature. He was young, perhaps no older than her brother. His wound was sizzling with the acidic venom. If he didn't receive help soon, he would surely die.

"So be it" whispered Wren, feeling no compassion for the downed cat. This is what he deserves, she told herself, what their whole race deserves! She stepped over the shivering form of the former guardsman and slid down the ladder. She was in a place much like her own base-camp. She kept to the shadows, stalking around the perimeter of the base until she found what she was looking for: a huge mansion. Wren knew of the vanity of the cats, and the tendencies their leaders had for living luxuriously. The one Dael had met with had been the leader of this establishment, Wren had seen him greet Dael at the gates. He was the one responsible for Dael's death, she knew, and thus he was going to die. Painfully.

The mansion would obviously be well protected, so Wren needed to be careful. She crept around the back of the gargantuan building, taking note of the large windows. Those were likely to be warded. Wren looked upward still and noticed a small circular window near the top of the building. It was high enough and small enough that it probably wasn't regarded as possible entry point for an intruder. Wren doubted there would be any danger to entering through it. She called out the Viper's Fangs and strode to the back wall of the mansion. She jumped, sinking her weapons into the side of the wall. She then withdrew one and drove it into the wall at a higher location, pulling herself up. Using her sai as makeshift climbing pitons, she scaled the wall, her cloak lending her its camouflage. She reached the window quickly, and quietly pried it open. It was a squeeze, but she managed to pull herself through it. She came out in a dusty attic and slowly closed the window behind her. She searched for a way to the lower floors and found a ladder. After checking to make sure her way was clear, she climbed down the ladder, ending up in a hallway. She crept silently through the hall until she came to a corner. Using utmost caution, Wren peeked around the corner. There was a large, extravagant oak door decorated with ornate carvings. It was guarded by two cats who looked half asleep, their halberds drooping in their tired fingers. Wren smiled. This was too easy. She stepped out and threw one of her sai at the guard farthest from her. It sank into his neck, prompting him to emit a strangled gurgle and fall to the ground, convulsing.

"Send-!" was all the second guard got to say before Wren lunged forward and tore out his throat with the other sai. He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. Wren retrieved her other weapon from the still twitching corpse of the first guard, and opened the oak door. Inside was a magnificent canopy bed with purple silk covers and quilts so beautiful they might as well have been tapestries. In that bed two cats, one male one female, slept peacefully. To Wren's dismay, neither of them was the one responsible for her mate's death. This was but a minor setback. Wren took two lengths of rope from her drawstring sack, the last thing in it as she had put the rod in her pocket, and moved towards the bed. She carefully slipped first the male's then the female's hands behind the posts that held up the canopy and tied them there. As she tied the male's hand, she found a signet on a chain around his neck that she recognized, it marked him as a High Mage, a leader of an outpost. This made her feel uneasy. What if the one who killed Dael wasn't even here? She worked quickly and gently so as not to wake the sleepers. After she was finished, she pushed a beautifully crafted dresser in front of the entrance to the room so that none would disturb her. It was then that she noticed the other door, the one at the far end of the room. It was also quite ornate, though not as large. Wren was not very concerned with it, there had been no other doors in the hallway, so the only way into the room from there currently had a large piece of furniture in front of it. The figures in the bed began to stir, probably awakened by the noise Wren made while she moved the dresser. The males eyes opened first, appearing groggy but quickly sharpening to full alertness as he realized what position he was in. His gaze fell on Wren, who was standing over him with her weapons clearly visible.

"If you call for the guards, you die." She stated matter-of-factly. He nodded slowly to show he understood, but Wren could read his expression, he was starting to scheme, looking for a way out of this predicament that ended with her being dead and him unscathed. "I'll have no tricks from you, wizard." She threatened, for she knew all cats who presided over outposts such as these practiced magic. He nodded again, but his expression remained the same.

"What's going on Raz?" inquired the female cat sleepily, finally waking up enough to realize something was amiss. Her eyes shot open as she noticed Wren. She opened her mouth to scream.

"Silence!" Wren hissed as she allowed the point of one of her weapons to come to rest on the male's bare chest, right above his heart. The male grunted as some of the acidic venom dripped onto him. The female's mouth shut abruptly, then opened again with a question.

"What do you want from us?" There wasn't a quaver of fear in the question as Wren had expected. This female probably was not a pampered housewife but a seasoned warrior. Wren made a mental note of this in case things went badly here.

"I want answers." Wren replied, "Who is the leader of this base?" Wren felt she already knew, but needed to hear it confirmed. There was a tense pause after which the male answered.

"I am."

"And how long have you been the leader here?" she pressed.

"I just arrived today." Came the answer. Wren snarled in fury, causing the two cats to jump.

"Who was here before you? Where is he now?" Wren barked.

"Eleron was his name. He has gone back to the capitol to await further orders." Wren's rage was at its peak. She had been denied her revenge! Who knows where this cat could be assigned to next! Wren may never even get to see him again, much less kill him. She seethed with rage and hatred. It was at this inopportune moment that the worst happened.

"Trevin, no!" shouted the female. Wren turned to see what was going on and noticed that the door she had dismissed as she entered was now open, and a little cub was charging at her with a sword that was obviously too big for it. He made a clumsy overhead swing and Wren instinctively brought her sai up, catching the weapon and forcing it out of the young one's hands with a deft twist of her wrist. Then her left arm shot forward and took the cub by its shirt, lifting it up while she positioned her sai for the killing strike.

Time seemed to stand still for Wren. The only thing she heard was the gentle pulsing of her heart as she stared into the fearful eyes of the squirming cub.

_Do it..._

No! I couldn't...

_You must..._

But...it's just a child...

_All of them are deserving of death...If you do not eliminate this one he will grow to kill your people_

I...

_You vowed to avenge Dael's death, You vowed to slay the cats. Here is one. Kill it_ Wren could feel the darkness reaching into her, corrupting her. She could detect her rage and anguish warping her, but could do nothing to stop it. Before she gave in, Wren had time for one more thought: _I'm sorry..._

The blade slid easily through the child's neck. There was no sound as it died. Then, the female's anguished cries broke the silence. Wren broke from her trance in time to see the male break free of his bonds. Apparently, he had been sawing away at them with his claws ever since he woke. He quickly voiced a spell. Wren lunged forward, letting the corpse of the cub slide off of her sai, hoping to disrupt the wizard's casting, but she arrived too late, and her attack met with a shield of pure force. Wren fell back into a defensive position, though she knew that the shield could only absorb a small amount of hits from her powerful weapons before breaking. She met the male's eyes and saw rage there that almost equaled her own.

"You will pay for murdering my son, witch!" and with that he began another spell. Wren kept her eyes on him, intent on dodging whatever he decided to unleash upon her. He completed the spell and hurled a bolt of lightning her way. Wren managed to roll under it and double thrust into his torso, an attack that again met the shield. She darted backwards, fearing close-ranged magic which was often quite unpleasant. By this time, guards were pounding at the door. Wren silently commended herself for her foresight, though it was only a matter of time before the mages were summoned to blast through her barrier with magic. She needed to work quickly. The male completed his next spell, sending a spray of acid towards Wren. She ducked under it and rolled out of the way, but was not quick enough. She gritted her teeth through the pain as the acid ate away at her shoulder and launched herself at the wizard. She struck once, twice, thrice in quick succession with the Viper's Fangs. The wizard thrust his hand onto her torso where there was a sudden flare of pain and the scent of burning flesh permeated the room, but it was worth it as the third strike shattered the magical barrier. Wren then spun a kick into the male's face to muddle his next incantation. The wizard whirled to the ground, and Wren quickly pounced on him, stabbing him through the heart.

"Noooooo!" The female wailed Wren stood and looked at her. For the past few moments she had been desperately trying to free herself from Wren's bonds, but to no avail. Now she gave up, turning her clear blue teary eyes to Wren. "Kill me then! You have taken my son and my mate, why not finish the job!" Wren slowly shook her head.

"No. I will not."

"What, are you squeamish now?" The female taunted

"No. I have vowed to repay the blood and the anguish that your race has visited upon me by killing my mate. These," she motioned to the corpses of the male cat and the cub "have contributed to the blood.. You will contribute to the anguish." The female cat sobbed quietly to herself.

"I will kill you." she said, her voice heavy with heart rending sadness.

"Perhaps you will," answered Wren, thinking how good it would be to be reunited with her Dael, "but that will not be tonight, and I have one more thing for you to bear witness to." And with that, Wren descended on the male cat's corpse, blocking out the wails of the female.

Wren appeared in a flash of soft blue light in front of the large domed structure that housed the Canis. Normally, the council of elders would not be there that late, but Wren knew that they were having an urgent meeting to discuss what to do in the wake of the treachery of Dael's murder. Wren strolled over to the entrance to the building, a bulging drawstring sack over her shoulder. She pushed open the huge double doors and walked into the echoing chamber where the Canis sat in a semicircular group of raised seats. The attention of the elders was immediately grasped by such an unorthodox intrusion, and their conversations faded to echos. The only light in the room was torchlight, which threw flickering shadows over all in the room. Wren dropped to one knee as was the custom when addressing the Canis.

"Noble elders, I request entry into a profession." She stated, eyes respectfully on the floor.

"It was just today that you resigned from the Shield Maidens" Observed one of the elders, a particularly grizzled looking sheepdog, "have you come to be reinstated into that order?"

"No." answered Wren firmly

"What then?" asked another council member. Quietly, Wren stood and took the drawstring sack from her shoulder. She held it at arm's length, loosened the strings, and overturned it. Out fell The head of Raz, the male cat, which landed with a soft thud on the floor and was closely followed by the signet that marked him a High Mage.

"I wish to be an assassin" Wren replied.

The glow of the crystal ball was all that illuminated the room. A smooth, dark laugh floated up from the one who was operating the ball, and her hand waved over it, canceling the scrying effect.

"Well well, we ARE easily manipulated, aren't we?" Adrian said, and that was followed by another bout of clear, perfect, malicious laughter. "Oh, Wren, what will I do with you?" Adrian asked herself, grinning "what will I do with you indeed."


End file.
